Drill pipe protector assembly



Jan. i2, 194.3. I G. L. SMITH ErAL l 2,308,316l

DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed .July 19, 1941 Patented Jan. 12, 1943 7 U'Ni'rE-D starts P DRILL PIPE PROTECTOR ASSEMBLY Walter G. L. Smith, Los Angeles, and Adelbert M.

Graham, Beverly Hills, Calif.; said Graham assigner to said Smith Application July 19, 1941, Serial No. 403,146 l 3 claims. (o1. 30s- 4) This invention relates to drill pipe protector assemblies for use on sections of a string of well drilling pipe to protect the pipe from wear against the well casing or the side walls of the well in the operation of a rotary well drilling rig.

It has been customary to make the drill pipe protectors in the form of rings of rubber or other resilient material and to secure them uponthe pipe in positions iixed'both longitudinally. and circumferentially of the pipe. It is of obvious advantage to prevent movement of the drill pipe protector longitudinally of the pipe, as otherwise the protector under the action of gravity will move downward to the nearest coupling. The disadvantage of a circumierentially xed mounting of the protector upon the drill pipe has been recognized. The drill pipe in rotary drilling is slowly rotated on its axis. A protector circumf erentially fixed upon it, when thrown by the pipe against the sides of the well, is subject to a glancing blow which is obviously more destructive of the protector than is a blow delivered perpendicularly to the protector with no tangential component. Even when the drill pipe is not rotated, if it swings outwardly, throwing the protector against the sides of the well, it is apparent that either because of irregularities in the surfaceof theA side walls of the well or because the protector may be thrown at an angle against the side walls, the force ofthe impact will have ardestructive tangential component.

The tangential component of a blow against the protector will be less destructive if the protector is free to rotate upon the pipe. Part of the force of impact may then be used to spin the .protector upon the pipe instead of having to be absorbed by the resilient material of the protector. However, the problem of mounting a protector rotatably upon the drill pipe presents two major diiculties. The bearing between the rotatable protector and the pipe aords lodgment for the mud uid used in the drilling operation, and this mud uid cuts through the drill pipe with extreme rapidity. The seconddifculty lies in the provision of a means for preventing movement of such a rotatable drill pipe protector longitudinally of the pipe, which is practicable and will stand up under the severeA conditions which obtain in a Well during the well drilling operation.

A drill pipe protector assembly of this invention has the advantages attendant upon a rotative resilient ring and has not the disadvantages of being the cause of a rapid cutting of the pipe radially beneath the ring and of having an ineffective Vshort-lived longitudinal Vretaining Y means. Y

It is one object of the invention toy provide a drill'pipe protector assembly which will stand up under the heavy blows to which it is subjected.

YIt is another object of the invention to provide in a practical form a rotatable resilient protector.

It is another object of the invention to provide a protector which will be 'both longitudinally stationary and circumferentially rotatable with respect to the pipe.

It is another object of the invention to provide in a rotatable drill pipe protector assembly a bearing for the rotating ring or spinner into which the mud iluid cannot enter to cut through the wall of the drill pipe.

It is .another object of the invention to provide a convenient method for installing a drill pipe protector assembly comprisinga drill pipe section, two spaced metal flanges on the pipe section, an inner annular resilient body adapted to be shrunk on the pipe between the flanges, and

, drill pipe being shown in fragmentary View;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the drill pipe protector assembly shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the base of the drill pipe protector assembly;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the base;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rotatable ring or spinner of the drill pipe protector assembly;

. Fig. 6 is an end View of the spinner;

Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of the base shown on a storage or handling mandrel;

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional View of the spinner shown on a storage or handling mandrel; Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view partly in elevation of a modified form of the drill pipe Iprotector assembly of this invention; and

. Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view partly in elevation of another modified form of a drill pipe protector assembly of this invention.

. A drill pipe protector assembly of this invention comprises a drill pipe section Il, two steel ange rings l2, a protector base I3, and a spinner I4.

The flange rings I2 are preferably of generally rectangular cross section and of an inside diameter to nt snugly over the pipe section II. An outer end face I5 of each flange ring is inclined to the axis of the pipe section` `to facilitate movement of the flange ring past objects in the well as the drill pipe is lowered into the well or elevated therefrom. The flange rings are annularly welded Yto the pipe section II at I6 and I1 with their inner end faces I8 spaced from each other for the disposition of the other elements of the pipe protector assembly.

The base I3 is preferably a one-piece ring -or A sleeve of rubber or other light resilient material of an inside diameter normally substantially 'less than the outside diameter of the pipe section I'I and of a length to extend over the space between the end walls I8 of the flange rings I2. It is'expanded andshrunk upon the pipe section in a v`manner to be` presently described, and because it is normally'substantially smaller in diameter than the outside diameter of the pipe section, it tightly embraces and is immovably seated upon the pipe section.

The rotatable ring or spinner I4 has the shape shown in Figs. 5 and f6. Its outer edges are preferably beveled at IB to enable it to more readily pass objects in the Awell as the pipe section is lowered into the `well or elevated therefrom. 1t is somewhat shorter than the base I3, has normally an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the base I3 when the lat- Veral/)ly manufactured in `actordance with the "in- Vention which is the subjectmatter l'o'f an application for patent `by Adlbert M. "Graham, "one of the joint inventors herein, Serial 'No 389,759, led April 22, 1941. I n'acco'rd'ance with the invention'of that application, vone-piece cylindrical rubber 'pipe protectors Vare made 'by lspirally'winding upon 'a mandrel "a Athin 'sheetof hotcompounded uncu'red rubbertalen directly from the inal roll of a calender rrollmaclnine. :The laminated cylinder thus formed 'is cured on the mandrei in the vulcanizjing furnace, and while Vstill on the mandrel is 'turned down to the 'proper diameter and cut to the proper length. I t is'then removed from the mandrel, and upon removal shrinks to a slightly smaller rdiameter both as to its bore and as 'to its outer cylindrical surface. The molecules fof each lamina are in a condition toset up circumferentialstresses tendingto still further shrinkthe protector, and the lamin'ae are bonded to eachother by an adhesive relationship 'resulting from the superimposing of the spiral convolutions while in a 'hot tacky condition. The finely spaced lines 2D on the drawing indicate the bonding joints between laminate.`

In installing the base I3, 4it is .expanded by I ne'aris of a machine'such as shownin the applicstio'n of'Adeibert Membern, seria No. 346,6115,

filed July 20, 1940, and transferred to a storage or handling mandrel 2l which may be for convenience termed a holder, such as is also described in the application of Adelbert M. Graham, Serial No. 346,615. In Fig. 7, the base is shown thus mounted on the holder 2 I, the holder being formed of a thin-walled pipe. By comparing the bas shown in Fig. '7 'with that shown in Fig. 3, i't will be observed that the inside and outside diameters of the base have been greatly increased, and the wall thickness and length of the base have been decreased.

The spinner I4 is similarly expanded and placed Aupon a holder 22 of a larger diameter than the liold'erjl. The base and spinner are `now ready Afor assembly upon a section of drill Pip?.

During the drilling operation and after the kelly has been disconnected from the uppermost Section ofthe drill pipa, 0r. Wheethe pire Sections ar'e en apipe rack or otherwise disposed singly or double or treble stands,- theholder 2| vwith the base 'I3 mounted thereon lis telescoped over o ne ofthe flange rings I2 together with hydrauli me ans assembled withjthe 'holder 2 I, such vas shown in the abovementioned application, Serial'No. 346,615, o f Adelbert M. Graham. The holder 2| has a bore of sufhcient size to pass over Yany sleeve coupling or tool joint which may be secured tothedrill pipe as well as over the flange 'rings I2.v When the fholder 2I and -hydraulic mechanism assembled thereon are in such a position that the base 'I3 registers with the space between the two Yiiangegrin'gs 'I2 the hydraulic Vmeans is operated to fslide the 'holder- 'diameter vof the flange rings I2, 'is tlijenpalssed 4overoneof the flange 'rings until th'espinn'er I4 mounted upon Zit 'is 'ldngitudiriallyl opposite the base la; trie hydfa'uug mechanism associated with tlie'hlder 22'is operated todeposit tlfie'spin .bore surface loosely 'engaging l tlfe fout-er surface -f jtiie base la rire iiigthjof tiiejspiiiir Mis such 'as to provide' s'niali longitudinal lea'iaie `s'pa'.ce` s between i" tsfen'd lwalls and the Crdwalls w' of, me, regering 1.2, enasnsideianfeer is 'such to provide asmall radial clearance While 'the man fiiiid `i1siciin-tiie' drilling-beretion maypafssthrough' the'f'srrrallclearance spaces at theehds'of'thelspinner to the'l clearance space between italia the base, th'eatasive'smiu 'material of the mud fluid vlwill 'not appreciably I"cut away either vthe spinner or tle base, because of the resilient character' orthse kiddies. nth'e ,other hand, the base, tightly 'mung upon trie drill pipe, prevents "entrance l o f Varly of I'the vfluid loetweenithe'basea'rid the pipe section, thus eliminating any cutting of the wallsof the pip'e section.

`The spinner` isprevented frein longitlclin-al'dsplacement along the pipes'ectiijn byr'neasff thearige rings I2. In wells'in whichthec'ridibecome subject to extreme deformation orrlaceration, flange rings ofrubber, such as aref disclosed in the application of Walter G. L. Smith, Serial No. 394,145, led May 9, 1941, for a Drill pipe protector, are ineffective after a period of use to retain the spinner I4 in proper position longitudinally of the pipe section. Under conditions of this kind, steel flange rings such as are disclosed in this application have an advantage over those of rubber disclosed in the abovementioned application of Walter G. L. Smith, Serial No. 394,145.

The laminated character of the base gives it a tighter grip upon the pipe than is' true of a base fabricated without laminae.

While the base is preferably formed as hereinabove described, it is apparent that it need not be laminatedly constructed and that it may even be made of other than rubber or resilient material without losing some of the advantages of this invention. It also need not be a one-piece body, but may be made of two semicircular halves or of other sections suitably secured to form a cylindrical bearing member for the spinner I4.

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate other forms which the invention may take.

In Fig. 9 each of the flange rings I2@ is a split ring, the two semicircular halves thereof being secured by welding joints 25. Each of the semicircular halves is annularly welded to the pipe section I ia, in the same manner as that in which the flange rings I2 are annularly welded to the pipe section II, as shown in Fig. 2. A split ring I2a may be used where it is diflicult or impossible to telescope a one-piece ring like the ange ring I2 over the end of the pipe section II.

In Fig. l the ange ring I2b takes the form oi a split ring, the two semicircular halves of which are clamped tightly together upon the pipe section by means of bolts 26. This form of flange ring also may be used where it is diflcult or impossible to pass a one-piece annular flange ring over the end of the pipe section.

The flange rings I2 for longitudinally retaining the spinner in place on the pipe section may take other forms without departing from the spirit of the invention, and, in fact, the end faces of couplings or other annular elements xed to the pipe section for some other purpose may be utilized to provide end thrust bearing shoulders for the purpose of retaining the spinner longitudinally in place upon the pipe section.

While the anges in the specific embodiments of the invention herein set forth have been described as welded or otherwise secured to a pipe section or joint, it is apparent that these flanges may alternatively be secured to any drill pipe element, such as a tool joint or collar, provided that these pipe elements are adapted for such securement. It is also apparent that the flanges may be integrally formed upon a pipe element when the pipe element is fabricated. Such flanges may well be integrally formed on collars and joint lengths specially designed for carrying spinner protectors. f

The invention is not to be limited to any specific ,embodiment herein shown, but is to be given the scope dened in the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

l. In a drill pipe protector assembly, the combination of: a metal drill pipe element; a rubber bearing sleeve contactually surrounding and irnmovably secured to said drill pipe element; two metal flange rings contactually surrounding and immovably associated with said pipe element, one at each end of said sleeve, said flange rings being of substantially greater outside diameter than said sleeve; and a rubber protector ring rotatably mounted on said sleeve between said flange rings, said protector ring having an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of said sleeve, having an outside diameter Y substantially greater than that of said flange rings, and being slightly shorter than said sleeve, the bore surface portion of said protector ring and the peripheral surface portion of said sleeve being of resiliently compressible rubber and ro tatively in contact with each other.

2. In a drill pipe protector assembly, the combination of a metal drill pipe element; a rubber bearing sleeve4 shrunk on said drill pipe element; two metal flange rings welded to said pipe element in end engagement with the ends of said sleeve respectively, the outside diameter of said flange rings being substantially greater than that of said sleeve; and a rubber protector ring rotatably mounted on said sleeve between said flange rings, said protector ring having an inside diameter slightly greater than the outside diameter of said sleeve, having an outside diameter substantially greater than that lof said flange rings, and being slightly shorter than said sleeve, the bore surface portion of said protector ring and the peripheral surface portion of said sleeve being of resiliently compressible rubber and rotatively in contact with each other.

3. In a drill pipe protector assembly, the combination of: a metal drill pipe element; a rubber bearing sleeve shrunk on said drill pipe element; two steel flange rings immovably associated with said pipe element in end engagement with the ends of said sleeve respectively; and a rubber protector ring projecting radially beyond said flange rings `and rotatably mounted on said sleeve between said flange rings with a small cylindrical bearing clearance between said protector ring and sleeve and with a small end bearing clearance between said protector ring and said flange rings, the bore surface portion of said protector ring and the peripheral surface portion of said sleeve being of resiliently compressible rubber and rotatively in contact with each other.

WALTER G. L. SMITH. ADELBERT M. GRAHAM. 

